Engine Alliance Delivers Steady Improvements in GP7200 Performance

The GP7200 engine is exceeding performance expectations with the incorporation of the high pressure turbine (HPT) upgrade announced at the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow. The EA has delivered more than 50 of the upgraded engines and has released a retrofit kit for operators who wish to take advantage of the latest benefits.

“This package delivers significant improvements in durability and performance retention,” said EA President Dean Athans. “But we’re not stopping here. Later this year we’ll release new engine control software that will offer even better fuel burn.”

The HPT upgrade improves EGT margin retention by up to 10ºC and performance retention by up to 0.5%. The software package will lower HPT metal temperature by up to 40ºC and reduce fuel burn by as much as 1% during climb. These benefits are being proven on an advanced endurance engine, as well as ground and flight testing.

Airlines operating GP7200 engines have enjoyed the merits of the quietest, most reliable and most fuel-efficient powerplant for the A380. The GP7200 engine has sustained an average of 99.9% departure reliability since entry into service. In the last 12 months the EA has sustained an even higher level of departure reliability, while the EA-powered A380 fleet surpassed 500,000 cycles and four million engine flight hours. Additionally, customers have benefitted from a fuel savings advantage of up to $1 million per aircraft per year.

The EA-powered A380 entered service in August 2008. Currently 90 EA-powered A380s are in operation around the globe: 62 with Emirates, ten with Air France, ten with Korean Air, five with Qatar Airways and three with Etihad Airways. The EA-powered A380 fleet is supported by the world’s largest network, with field service engineers available in more than 100 cities around the globe.

The Engine Alliance is a 50-50 joint venture of GE (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney (P&W), a division of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX). Revenue-sharing partners include MTU Aero Engines of Germany, Snecma (SAFRAN) of France and Techspace Aero (SAFRAN) of Belgium.

The GP7200 engine draws from the success of the GE90 and PW4000 programs, which together total more than 72 million engine hours and more than 13 million engine cycles in service. With the ability to incorporate field experience and newly proven technologies from GE and P&W, the Engine Alliance is continuously looking at ways to enhance the GP7200 engine.

Engine Alliance